The Cardinals are good. But seriously, they play in a seriously boring, crappy division.

The only exciting thing going on there is maybe the pirates will finally have a winning season...

Scotty P

06-25-2013 05:26 PM

I got the MLB package and watch the Card every night.........BEST team in baseball period.

patmo

06-29-2013 05:28 PM

The coastal cities are those largest media centers and the teams from those areas always seem to get the most coverage. Doesn't matter if it is St. Louis, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Pittsburg, or any other of the 1/2 dozen or so cities that have successful sports franchises, but don't get national attention.

As a lifelong Reds fan, I really dislike the Cards...but I also respect the heck out of them for what they have accomplished. It helps that their fans are generally very knowledgeable baseball fans that don't act like their sh*t don't stink.......unlike Yankee fans!

Schnickelfritz

07-04-2013 07:38 AM

Grew up in STL and started going to Busch Stadium in the early '70s: Brock, Gibson, Torre, Simmons, Hrabosky were some of the players at the time. Just a few years after their 1967 title, they had entered a swoon (no div. titles, several seasons ending 10+ games behind) which didn't end until 1982, after acquiring Ozzie Smith, Joaquin Andujar, Lonnie Smith, and Willie McGee. My family has held season tickets since I can remember.

Only the Yanks have won more WSs, and after them, only the Giants have been to the WS more than the Cardinals, which is probably why the Cards get as much attention as they do (and because they're one of the oldest teams and baseball loves traditions). Lately, they've received more press because of their farm system and the homegrown players now in the majors. The Pujols deal only burnishes the front office's image.

If you talk to the oldsters from the Rockies to the Ohio, they're Cardinals fans thanks to KMOX radio, which was the only thing on the air at night in much of the central US back in the day. I went to Kansas University, and became a basketball fan, despite having grown up with zero interest in the sport, mainly because of the Jayhawks fans I met there (and coz the team is consistently good). KU fans complain about east coast homers overlooking their team the same way STL fans do. And like patmo said, Royals fans do, too, but come on: with one winning season out of the last 20, the Royals ain't no Cardinals. And while it was hard to be in Lawrence/KC, surrounded by Royals fans watching KC win over my Cards in 1985, I still loved being in a town with fans whose team was winning. There's just something cool about it from my POV as a fan of the game.

The last 25 games have sucked: starters' ERA over 6 (Wainwright aside), only the 12th-best record in baseball after that great start, swept at home by Texas a few weeks ago after winning all but two series so far in 2013. But they're still only 2 games behind the Pirates, who are absolutely rolling: 9 Ws in their last 10 and have gone from 4 games down to 2 up on STL.

STL went thru a 30-game slump in 2011, too. They ended up winning it all. I predict the Cardinals will will right their ship, the starting pitching will come back around, and we'll see them battle PIT all the way to September, both teams winning 100+ games and perhaps meeting again in the post-season.

PoundSand

07-04-2013 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schnickelfritz
(Post 21789044)

The Pujols deal only burnishes the front office's image.

Yeah... Great front office (and coaching), but not sure why they get credit for that, as they dodged a bullet with their 8 year offer... ;)

wxwax

07-04-2013 03:56 PM

I don't watch ESPN, but the sense I have from online magazines is that the Cards get about as much attention as the Braves. It's all about media market size. If the Cubs were doing well, they'd get a lot of attention because Chicago is home to lots of eyeballs.

Jurgen

07-05-2013 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wxwax
(Post 21792188)

I don't watch ESPN, but the sense I have from online magazines is that the Cards get about as much attention as the Braves. It's all about media market size. If the Cubs were doing well, they'd get a lot of attention because Chicago is home to lots of eyeballs.

I thought it was because during the regular season ESPN by contract only covers two teams which surround their home in Connecticut? :dunno

Schnickelfritz

07-05-2013 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PoundSand
(Post 21723560)

The Cardinals are good. But seriously, they play in a seriously boring, crappy division.

Only 3 teams playing over .600 ball right now. Two of them are in the NL Central, whose third-place team (CIN) would be in first place in most of the other divisions in MLB.

Not that anyone describes PIT or CIN as "exciting," but this is the best division in the game and it ain't close.

PoundSand

07-05-2013 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schnickelfritz
(Post 21800760)

Only 3 teams playing over .600 ball right now. Two of them are in the NL Central, whose third-place team (CIN) would be in first place in most of the other divisions in MLB.

Not that anyone describes PIT or CIN as "exciting," but this is the best division in the game and it ain't close.

That 2 of the best 3 team record is, of course, helped by the fact that 2 of the worst 5 teams are in that division. Them being the best division is certainly arguable. :-)

And last year the pirates were ~.570 into august, but ended up with a losing record anyway. You putting money on them breaking their 20 year losing streak (they were in 1st place in the no central in top July in 2011 as well)? I'm not. :-P

patmo

07-06-2013 08:45 AM

Your point there would be well-taken IF those bad teams where the only, or at least the majority, of the teams the top three played. However, if you check the schedule for the 1st half, that isn't the case.

I don't expect Pittsburgh to have the same type of collapse this year that they have had in the past. I think it will be a 3-team race all the way to the end, and all of them will make the playoffs.